


You're My Ticket to the Other Side

by midnight_shipping



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types, Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Apocalypse, Eventual Happy Ending, How Do I Tag, M/M, Maze Runner AU, Multi, Otabek is Newt, Sassy Yurio, So much angst, Unrequited Love, What Have I Done, Yurio is thomas, but if you do that's great, but try to stick with me, mainly otayuri, possibly adding more characters later on, smol children being rebelious, some newtmas feels if your into that, this is going to be a train wreak im sorry, with a little bit of Victuuri, you don't need to know the series
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-05-05
Updated: 2017-06-09
Packaged: 2018-10-28 05:34:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,090
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10824831
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/midnight_shipping/pseuds/midnight_shipping
Summary: WICKED stole everything from him.But then he saw Otabek there, smiling. That grin sent a wave of reassurance through him, as if he were finding out the world was okay again.





	1. Prequel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prequel? Ish?

_Artur, my name is Artur._  
  
He had been chanting it in his head for the last two days. It was the only thing he had left to hold on to after they took everything away from him. He couldn't let them take that away to.  
  
WICKED stole everything from him.  
  
He still remembers his last moments with his family. The night they took him away. His father began spiraling into madness shortly after he was born and it wasn't going to be long until his mother was diagnosed was as well. The only sane thing left in his life was his grandfather, Nikolai. He was the only person in Artur’s life who was ever truly there for him.

When his dad was having a particularly tough night, yelling and throwing everything in his reach around the house in a fit of insanity, the loud crashing sounds of random objects breaking as they hit the hard walls always waking Artur up, forcing him to press his hands against his ears in an attempt to muffle the disturbing sound, his grandpa was always there, picking up to take him and his mother to a hotel where they could wait until he got better. He loved his grandpa, even more than his parents, but they even took that away from him the evening those adults came to his family’s house. The three men were carrying hefty briefcases and long clipboards, dressed in overly professional looking suits, they seemed out of place in the poorly organized room. 

They went on and on, speaking with all sorts of technical words he didn't understand. Artur did his best to zone them out, staring out the kitchen window as the men continued to converse with his parents and grandfather. At one point, one of the men put his bag on the table in the kitchen area, pulling out an important looking folder and handed it to my mother, but he didn't bother to pay attention to any of the words that were exchanged, it didn't seem to concern him so Artur saying out of the way, hoping that the strange men would leave soon so he could continue making Pirozhki with his grandfather, it was his favorite meal.

Then the men stopped talking, there was a big pause where no one said anything. Artur looked over to his mother for the first time since the three men arrived and noticed that she had tears streaming down her face, but before he could say anything, one of the men -a shorter one who had thin, close shaven black hair and small-framed glasses- came over to where Artur was still sitting at the table, he had a calm and stoic way about him, like he did this sort of thing every day and was completely used to seeing the awful reactions that came with it. The boy started to think about what the group could be doing here, somehow he hadn't bothered to let him brain travel there yet, the first thing that came to mind was that his mama had just been diagnosed with the flare. Which didn't change much really, it was inevitable in a place like this. What the boy didn't expect was what actually came out of the man’s mouth.  
  
"Artur," The man began as he took a seat next to him.

"You don't know it yet but you're very, very special. You may not believe me right away, but you are part of an extremely elite group of people. Artur, you are immune to the flare."  
  
It was like someone had punched him in the stomach, taking all the air out of his lungs, any words his tried to speak getting caught in his throat. Then suddenly, as if said by a different person entirely, the words came tumbling out, completely devoid of emotion, sounding almost robotic.  
  
"No, I'm not. I can't be immune." The boy spoke with a sort of confidence he didn't know he possessed at the moment. The man simply smiled back, like he had heard those words a million times before.  
  
"I assure you, Artur, you are, there are test results proving that-"  
  
"What about mama and papa? Why aren't they immune? What about grandpa?" Putting as much bitterness into the words as the boy could manage.  
  
"Because simply weren't born that way. I'm sorry that you have to hear about it this way, but the reality is families like yours are extremely common with immunes like yourself, and that is precisely why you are so valuable Artur." The man took another pause, trying to find the right words for whatever he was going to say next. Oddly enough, Artur stayed silent after that.  
  
"We are an organization called WICKED. As I'm sure you know the flare is a terrible disease that must be stopped at all costs, and our organization is trying to make that happen. With all the hard work and intensive research we are doing in our facilities, we can put an end to the flare, but we need your help, Artur. You and others like you can help us find a cure to the flare, save your parents and even your grandfather if he is diagnosed, all you have to do is come with us.”

He looked towards his family, and that seemed to be all the convincing he needed. Seeing the sadness in his mother's face as tears continued to roll down her face, the complete madness that had swelled up in his father's eyes after years of living with the flare, and his grandfather, he couldn't let that happen to him, if there was any chance he could save his grandfather from the inevitable, he would do it in a heartbeat.

“Ok.” He followed the men in the suits through the door of his home without hesitation, looking back at his grandpa one last time, trying to communicate everything he wanted to say to him through his face, the man seemed to understand and gave the boy a curt nod in return as he turned away. The pain of separation was already threatening to swallow him whole. What the boy didn't know at the time, was that he would never see his family again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this is my first ever chapter fic, so try to bear with me! I have a lot of this fic written out in advance so chapters should be consistent. And I know that the names are confusing (Who is Artur?), but I promise everything will make sense soon! Even though this is an AU based on the Maze Runner series, you don't need to know the books or movies to understand this fic, but if you do there might be a few easter eggs hidden in there for you ;). Thank you so much to everyone who's decided to read my fic so far and I promise there is much more to come! And if you want to see more of my crazy shenanigans and memes, follow my Tumblr: @midnight-shipping


	2. Chapter 1

 

_ Artur, Artur my name is Artur. _

 

He would never forget his name, that he was sure of. His parents gave him this name, it was part of him, same as his flesh and blood. He knew that the moment the lady first came into his room, throwing the new word around like it was the most normal thing in the world.  _ Yuri.  _ It made him sick just thinking about it. The boy refused to let the two syllables roll off his tongue because then it would be real. They would think he was accepting it. 

 

_ No, never. My name is Artur.  _

 

He never seemed quite the same since the night they took him. All the innocence and childishness are suddenly stolen from him, leaving only the empty shell of a boy. Anger and confusion quickly took over, sleep only coming in quick fits, appetite seemingly dissolving into nothing, leaving every meal that slid through the notch in the door to his room completely untouched. Well that was what they called it at least, his room, to him it looked more like a posh prison cell than anything. Gray walls on all four sides, the only furniture being his bed and a small wooden desk with a matching chair, a small bathroom shoved in the far corner, next to the big metal door that seemed to always be locked.

 

After the three men in the professional suits and Artur silently drove up the road that led to the giant, menacing building that he assumed was WICKED’s headquarters, and directed him inside through the series of large double-doors, armed with far too much security that seemed appropriate due to the fact the facility was already about as remote and in the middle of nowhere as it gets, right in the center of the rocky mountains, completely covered from sight by the tall, thick forest that resided there. 

 

Once inside Artur was immediately directed through the building, following quickly behind the men as they took a long series of random turns until they reached a small room, unlocked the door, and gestured for Artur to enter, refusing to answer the boy's many questions and comments, he has been inside ever since. Occasionally a woman would come in with a variety of confusing looking tools and told him in an annoying tone to “please sit back and relax” like that was even possible when she kept poking and prodding at him like some sort of cow. He always tried his hardest to let the dumb lady know that he didn't like her in the slightest, but she never seemed to notice, just kept that idiotic smile plastered on her face like everything was just peachy. It made Artur hate her even more. 

 

One day, however, a man came into his room. It was just a few minutes after he’d woken up, he was sitting on his bed, bored out of his mind, waiting for his usual breakfast to be slid through the door. Then it opened completely, and the man stepped in, wearing a green jumpsuit that looked like pajamas for adults, it looks stupid.

 

“What's with the outfit dude? You and your buddies having a party or something?” 

 

The man only laughed. 

 

“They told me you had quite a mouth on you, wonder where they got that idea from.” He took a moment to look at Artur, scanning him up and down like a judge deciding if someone was guilty or not.

 

“Now get up, we have a lot of work to do today. Good news, you can finally leave your room, isn't that exciting?” 

 

“Shut up pajama man. Cool it with the fake enthusiasm, cause I'm not buying it. Now, where are you taking me? What do you mean work?” 

Artur crossed his arms, rolling his eyes as he gave the man an impatient look. He got no response.

 

“Well?”

 

“Just come with me Yuri, you’ll find out soon enough.” 

 

“Artur, my name is Artur!” He cried, hoping it would make him look strong and confident. He was done with the people here treating him like a baby. 

 

Suddenly the man's entire demeanor seemed to change. The sarcasm and humor were quickly replaced with downright anger. He walked closer to the bed and crouched down in front of him. 

 

“Listen, kid, you seem smart, and you're immune to the flare, you have a lot going for you, don't blow it all now.” Artur was growing angry by the second, how could any of that possibly matter when these people were practically holding him hostage in this stupid room!

 

“But-”

 

“Just shut up!” The man abruptly shouted, the veins on his round, fat face bulging out, but he seemed to regret it immediately, his face quickly changing back to a calm and somewhat kind expression. Artur pouted in his seat but stayed silent.

 

“Look, our organization is trying to achieve something bigger than yourself, bigger than all of us, a cure, for everyone, now I don't want to be forced to get rough with you, so I suggest you stand up, walk with me out that door right now, and I'm not going to tell you again,  _ Yuri. _ ”

 

This time Artur didn't say anything, and he quietly followed the man out into the hallway. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The boy lay on his bed, curled in on himself, still shaking from the unbearable pain he endured earlier. Everything was silent except for the occasional sound of a drop of water hitting the bottom of the sink in the bathroom. The boy could still picture the short man, sitting across from him, face full of rage and disappointment as he repeatedly inflicted immense amounts of pain into him. Forcing the word into his brain, his new name, his  _ real _ name. 

 

That was it, they had taken everything from him, what was he without his name? He wasn't the same person, not anymore, now, he was Yuri. I tear rolled down his face as he looked up at the ceiling of the tiny confines of his room. 

 

It was the first time he'd cried since arriving here, in front of the cruel adults that visited him he wanted to appear as if he wasn't affected by what they were doing to him, like he was better than them, better than all of them, but he was done, too weak to fight any longer. After what he had he had just been through, everything that was stolen from him in such a short period of time, Yuri no longer cared about proving himself to anyone. 

 

The worst part about it was the isolation. He knew there were others here, other kids like him. He overheard them when the annoying lady would take him to the labs for tests, saw glimpses of them, eating and talking and enjoying themselves. Yuri tried to push them away, out of his mind so he didn't have to think about it. Why he was different, why he couldn't see them, what it would be like to be with them. 

 

So he forced himself into his own world, where no one else existed, where he was always on his own, it was him against the world for the rest of time. But no matter how hard he tried, there was always a small part in the back of his mind that wanted more, wanted to see the other kids. 

 

As much as he hated to admit it, Yuri wanted a  _ friend. _

  
He didn't realize he was still crying in his bed until he felt a small puddle of water start to form at the side of his pillow. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see more of my crazy shenanigans and memes, follow my Tumblr: @midnight-shipping


	3. Chapter 2

In the two short years since the short man had stolen his name, Yuri became very busy. Constant schooling classes harder than anything he could have ever imagined for a seven-year-old, his teachers pushed his mental and physical abilities to the very brink. Testing and experimentation were done on his brain every day by so many different doctors he stopping trying to remember their names a long time ago. (Then again he never really cared that much). It was all so boring, it nauseated him. Two years of the same routine every single day. Wake up, breakfast, classes, lunch, more classes, testing, dinner, bedtime. He didn't know how much more of this he could take. He was so tired of it all, it almost hurt.

 

Until one day, something changed. A woman came into his room, same as usual, just like clockwork, but it wasn't the same woman that came in every morning with his breakfast. This woman only carried a clipboard and a pen, busily writing something down as she entered the room. He'd never seen her before. She had long hair tied into a tight bun, a thin face with extremely deep cheekbones, and very heavily applied makeup, Yuri scoffed and smirked at the lady, she looked like a clown. 

 

She didn't even bother to look up from the papers on her clipboard while she talked. The lady sounded like one of his annoying teachers at school when she spoke, she had a sickening prestigious accent to her voice, it made Yuri want to throw up. 

 

“Hello Yuri, I am Dr. Baranovskaya, but you may call me Lilia. I have been permanently assigned you to as your official counselor. You're going to be seeing a lot from me over the next few years.” She spoke as if she memorized the words beforehand, Yuri could already tell he did not like this woman, and not just because of her strange voice and clown-face. 

 

“Why?”

 

“What do you mean why?”

 

“Why after all this time of random adults coming into my room, forcing to follow them all over the building, subjecting me to random tests like some animal, why now would you people “assign me to a counselor”?” Yuri crossed his arms dramatically, putting as much sass into the words as possible. The woman simply sighed.

 

“I don't make the rules, I just do what I'm told.” He opened his mouth to argue when a pleasant smell of food suddenly filled the air.

 

“Breakfast?” The woman gave him a fake smile like someone was forcing her to be nice him, and on some level, he felt bad for her. 

 

His usual morning meal of eggs and bacon came sliding through the door on a metal tray, being pushed by his usual breakfast lady. It was then that Yuri realized this was the largest amount of people to ever accompany him in his tiny room. Usually, only one adult came to visit at a time. Oddly enough, he didn't mind.

 

“Ow!” The boy cried, almost swatting Lilias hand away from his arm. 

 

After the breakfast lady left, Lilia began all the usual tests on Yuri, brain examinations, physical checkups, blood samples. He still hated it when the doctors pricked him with the needle, he felt dizzy and uneasy afterward, and the sight of his own blood flowing up the tube connected to it make him sick to his stomach. He look over at the table where Lilia put the needle after she was done, he almost gagged at the sight. It must have shown on his face because the older woman looked back at him and actually made an attempt at a sincere smile. 

 

“They told me you weren't very fond of the blood work. I guess they weren't lying.” She let out a small laugh. Yuri scowled back at her, not knowing if he'll be able to handle a few more years of this. 

 

“I'm fine. It's your fault, you must’ve stuck it in wrong or something.” 

 

She giggled again. “Whatever makes you feel better darling.” 

 

Things continued exactly like this for many days to follow.

 

Sample after sample.

Class after class.

Puzzle after puzzle. 

Day after day.

Month after month.

 

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Yuri woke up that morning to a loud knock coming from his bedroom door, but what greeted him wasn't the usual monotone clown face of Lilia. It was a man, he looked old, very old, with long gray hair, mostly covered by a tall brown hat. He, like most of the staff at WICKED, was dressed in a long, black suit that just barely covered his fat stomach, Yuri let out a small laugh, fat old man. 

 

“Good morning Yuri. My name is Dr. Yakov, I’m one of the psychs here. Here’s your breakfast, and make sure to eat all of it, you have a big day today. I'll come back to get you at 8 o’clock sharp, so be ready.” 

 

“Wait! Wha-” The door slammed shut before he could finish his sentence, he was once again alone with his thoughts. Yuri crossed his arms and pouted angrily. He wasn't hungry in the least, he left the food untouched and went to the bathroom to get dressed. 

 

Another loud knock snapped the blonde-haired boy out of his daze and his eyes looked to the clock hanging on the wall across from him. Eight o’clock sharp,  _ wow, the fat old man wasn't kidding. _ Yuri slowly opened the door and he nearly ran him over, storming in like the world was actually going to end if he didn't rush around like this. He looked to the tray were his food still sat, he frowned. 

 

“You didn't eat any of your food! Wh- you know what, nevermind, I don't have time for this. We need to leave now, come on Yuri.” 

 

Whatever it was that had the old man so stressed out about, it didn't faze Yuri in the least. The boy stayed exactly where he was.

 

“Why? What are we doing that's so important? And where's Lilia?” Yuri gave the man a took that he hoped told the man that he wasn't leaving his room until all of his questions were answered. 

 

The old man folded his arms. “I assure you, Dr. Baranovskaya is perfectly fine, there isn't any reason why she wouldn't be. Now you need to learn to show some etiquette, your elders deserve some respect.” 

 

Yuri sighed loudly. “Whatever, well what is it you people want me to do this time? I am ready to be your humble servant.” He bowed to the man overdramatically, smirking as he watched the fat old man's clearly unamused expression. 

 

The tall man simply rolled his eyes. “Follow me.” 

 

“Of course.” And with that, they both strolled out of the room and down an all too familiar hallway. 

 

The WICKED facilities may as well have been a maze, there were so many hallways, random dead ends, and secret entrances. He still hadn't figured out his way around even after walking down the same long corridors every single day.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“I'm afraid I can't tell you that.” I man said, still briskly walking in front of Yuri. 

 

The blonde-haired boy groaned.

 

“Oh, come  _ on! _ Can't you tell me anything? I'm tired of all the secrecy around here! You said I was special right? That I was valuable? So then why do I still not know anything! I'm 10 years old now! I've been here for five years!” 

 

“Just shut up already!” The man whipped his body around so he was starring Yuri dead in the eye, face full of rage. Yuri almost jumped back in surprise.  _ God, these people just love telling him to shut up. _ He rolled his eyes inwardly after regaining his composure. 

 

“I thought Dr. Nishigori was exaggerating when he said you were a diva.” He muttered to himself.

 

“What'd you say, old man?”

 

“Nothing, nothing.”

 

Eventually, the pair came to what seemed to be the hospital wing of the building, rooms with beds and medical machines lined the walls, random tables filled with supplies sat outside some of them. 

 

The old fat man stopped abruptly at a room at the very end of one of the long hallways, it had a sign propped on the door. Yuri had to crane his neck and stand on his toes to make anything out, even then he couldn't read everything. The only thing he could see was  _ Subject A7  _ and his name,  _ Yuri Plisetsky.  _ Wait, Plisetsky? He was never made aware that these people had replaced his last name too! He frowned at the sign as the man next to him toke out a set of keys and was unlocking the door. WICKED truly had no boundaries. 

 

The man opened the door to reveal a small white room exactly like all of the others and was ushering Yuri inside when he heard the loud sound of a door slamming shut behind him. He turned around to look back down the narrow hall. He watched the scene unfold before him with wide eyes.

 

A boy, about his age, noticeably taller than himself, with short gray hair, much shorter than his own, a strange thick bandage wrapped around his forehead just above his ears. He burst out of a room somewhere down the corridor and was now running at full speed down the hallway, straight towards Yuri and the old man. A lady, much like many of the other doctors that came to visit him every day, was following close behind, calling what Yuri assumed to be the boy's name. 

 

“Victor! Come back right now! You're in no condition...” 

 

Victor.

 

The first name he'd ever heard since the first day he was taken here, besides a couple of the doctors whose names he actually bothered to remember, and Lilia. He would never admit this to anyone, but he liked knowing someone else's name, it made him feel included like he knew the other kids, made them seem closer somehow, even if it was just one word. 

 

The nurse had almost caught up to Victor when suddenly he stopped directly in front of Yuri, staring at him with an expression full of determination, yet somehow he could still sense fear in the other boy's eyes. Everything seemed to stop for a second, neither boy said a word, not even the adults spoke. 

 

“Don't go in that room, trust me. There trying to control us, don't let them do it, don't let them put it in your head. They say it doesn’t hurt but they're lying.” Words said with complete and utter seriousness, it almost felt like they were coming from an adult, one of the annoying scientist people, not a young child. 

 

Then suddenly the boy, Victor, was being picked up, taken away by the nurse and carried back to his room, but that didn't stop him from kicking and struggling against her grip, trying tirelessly to get free. 

 

Something clicked inside of Yuri in that moment, like a switch being turned on, and he was suddenly overtaken by a sense of rage. How could this organization, this WICKED simply expect them to obey their every order, no questions asked, and now they were going to put things into all of their heads, he couldn’t stand it. Yuri, as if his body had turned to autopilot, stormed over to the nurse and hit her with everything he had.

 

“Let him go!” 

 

He punched the woman still holding Victor with every ounce of strength he could muster, and surprisingly she dropped the boy, who looked extremely pleased with Yuri, but his victory was short-lived as the nurse quickly recovered, and hit him hard in the side with her elbow, sending him flying into the opposite wall. The old man was on him in a second, running towards him with some sort of needle, his eyes widened in fear as the giant syringe came closer and closer to his arm. 

 

“I’m sorry, I wish I didn't have to do this…” Suddenly Yuri’s vision seemed to be fading around him, he saw the nurse lady grab Victor back up, pulling him back into the room, but this time the boy didn’t struggle. He stilled in the lady's strong arms and looked the other boy dead in the eye. As Yuri’s vision began to fade to black, he heard Victor say one more thing to him, and those words stayed planted in his memories for a long, long time after hearing them. 

 

“Someday we’ll be bigger.”

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see more of my crazy shenanigans and memes, follow my Tumblr: @midnight-shipping


	4. Chapter 3

 

He dreamt of his grandpa while he was asleep. Yuri couldn’t remember the last time they’d seen each other. The fuzzy scene taking place in his mind almost made him want to cry, for all he knew he was crying, wherever he was. The two were standing in the kitchen, the older man stirring something over a pot, while a short, tiny Yuri struggled to see what was inside, Pirozhki. The very same meal the two were planning to make just before those terrible men in the suits took him away. 

 

He now realized he never really gave his family a proper goodbye. It had all happened so fast and Yuri wanted to remain strong in front of the adults so they wouldn’t think less of him as if simply giving your parents and dedushka quick hugs and farewells were too childish to let the professional adults see. That always seemed to be his problem didn’t it, pushing his emotions deep inside in front of others, locking them away so as not to appear weak. Ever since he was little, Yuri would never let anyone see him cry, not even his parents. He thought it would make him stronger, braver, not a weak little baby that couldn’t handle sadness, but after being taken here, being trapped in this place, he started to realize that it only does the exact opposite. To be strong you have to show others that you have emotions, that you're human, and it’s that exact sadness and trauma that pushes us to move further, do better, make us stronger. Hiding your tears, not letting people see you cry, is really what makes you weak in the end.

 

He heard a voice calling his name, it sounded like an echo, coming from somewhere far in the distance. He looked up to his grandfather, who was testing to see if the meat was done, but his mouth wasn't moving. He heard it again. Yuri listened, closer this time. He knew exactly who and where the voice was coming from. He was waking up.

 

He turned to his dedushka one last time, feeling his face instantly welling up with tears at the thought of being ripped from the man's loving care once again. Then, as if on cue, the scene before him began to fade into black as he quickly regained consciousness, but just before it disappeared completely, Yuri allowed the tears that he’d been holding in for far too long to fall down his face, the boy fell to his knees and sobbed. Sobbed for his grandpa, for his parents, for everything that had been stolen from him, and most of all, for himself. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Yuri's eyes fluttered open to see the colorful face of none other than Lilia, she was wearing her usual monotone expression, looking down at him like the boy had grown gills on his face. 

 

“Yuri, wake up.” 

 

The blonde boy groaned, wishing more than ever that he could go back inside his dream and hide away forever. 

 

“Ok, ok, I’m up, see?” He waved his hands around randomly for dramatic effect. 

 

“Geez, can I ever get some peace and quiet in this place?” 

 

The woman's face relaxed, she seemed surprisingly guilty for her actions.

 

“I apologize Yuri, and I’m sorry for what Dr. Yakov did to you, but it is extremely vital that this part of the process goes smoothly, remember the fate of the human race depends on it.” Yuri scoffed. 

“Yeah, I know. You people seem to love telling me that.” 

 

“Because it’s true Yuri, very, very, true. Trust me.” 

 

“Whatever. It’s kinda hard to do that when you won’t tell me anything.”

 

“Soon Yuri, soon all of the answers you seek will be given to you, but for now we just ask that you follow our orders. I'll be back soon.  _ Don’t move. _ ” Before Yuri could disagree further, the tall woman immediately stood and walked out the door, leaving Yuri to sulk in silence.

 

He would’ve simply sat there on the bed until Lilia came back like she so pointedly asked, the drugs from his earlier slumber hadn't quite worn off yet and he still felt overwhelmingly tired, Yuri would’ve loved to collapse back into the warmth and comfort of the hospital bed and fall into another deep sleep, if he was lucky he would have another pleasant dream like the one before. Though after the conversation he and Lilia just had, he wasn’t exactly in the mood to continue doing what WICKED wanted every second of every day, he was going to snoop around a bit, and if that wasn’t what they wanted well too freaking bad. Screw you doctor ladies and men in suits, if you won’t give me answers, I’ll just have to find them out for myself. 

 

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

After about an hour of searching Yuri still hadn’t found anything useful. Lilia still wasn’t back from wherever she disappeared to, and for all, he knew she was doing it on purpose. Maybe this was all just another test, seeing what he would do in the situation. Overcome by a sudden sense of rebellion, he looked up to the ceiling, found a familiar security camera sitting in a corner of the room, and raised a finger to it that he remembers his dad using occasionally when he and mom got into particularly rough fights, he assumed it didn’t mean anything good. 

 

“This is for you WICKED.” 

 

Without another word, the young boy continued his search. 

 

He turned to go back to rummaging through one of the cabinets hidden under the sink when something caught his eye. Now that he was really looking at it Yuri couldn’t believe he didn't notice it sooner. A thin white curtain, completely ordinary by most standards except this one had something behind it, _someone_ behind it. A form, the silhouette of a small person, not too much bigger than himself, resting on what seemed to be another hospital bed, identical to his own. Yuri stared at the figure for what felt like hours, but somehow the boy just couldn’t seem to look away.

 

Suddenly an overwhelming urge came over him. It struck him so powerfully, like nothing he had ever felt before, it seemed to take over his every emotion.  _ I have to see who’s behind that curtain.  _ He went for it. Yuri didn’t even hesitate before running over to the cloth and tearing it to the side so he could see what lay on the other side. It was then he finally heard the clicking of Lilia’s heels behind him, but he didn’t even care. The boy rushed over to the bed just before the woman got to him. 

 

Another boy lay there, unconscious, he looked a little older than himself, possibly as old as that Victor kid. He had sharp serious features and jet black hair cut just a tad bit shorter than his own, which now fell well below his chin. His eyes were closed, but he could still tell that his face had a sort of kind and peaceful aura to it, but that may just have been because of his comatose state. 

 

Just as Lilia was shoving Yuri back into his own section of the room, quickly pulling the curtain back into its original place, the green-eyed boy noticed one last piece of information about the boy in the bed. His name, printed in bold in the center of a screen hovering beside him.

 

Otabek.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I've been so mia lately! I barely survived finals week! But luckily school is out for the summer so I'll be writing a lot more! As always if you want to see more of my crazy shenanigans and memes, follow my Tumblr: @midnight-shipping


	5. Chapter 4

 

“What were you thinking?” Came an angry voice from behind Yuri. Lilia turned the boy’s body around using far too much force than was necessary and attempted to guide him back to his own depressing hospital bed. 

 

“You need to stay in your own bed! Follow medical procedures, uphold safety codes, okay? There’s no need for you to be wandering off on your own like that. This operation is extremely important and it is vital to our research that it goes smoothly. Understand?” He only stared blankly back at her, growing increasingly tired of the constant lectures she burdened him with about things he wasn’t even aware of yet. Again the woman gestured to the empty bed, but Yuri only laughed, his feet staying planted in their spot, he wasn’t exactly in the mood to go back to being WICKED’s personal slave.

 

“No I don’t understand because you never explain anything to me, but I’m sure that’s not going to change anytime soon is it?” Yuri yelled bitterly at the doctor, trying his hardest to sound sarcastic as he did. 

 

Lilia ignored his comment, clearing her throat and regaining her composure as if to start another long speech, Yuri groaned inwardly. 

 

“That boy has just been through rigorous surgery, he is very fragile right now. You don’t want to go running up to someone in a state like that, the curtain should have been warning enough.” Rather than shouting and arguing with him, her face now held an expression of disappointment, rather than anger. 

“Why is he so fragile? I thought we all were having surgery, why is he any different?” Yuri couldn’t help but be curious about the mysterious boy sleeping only a few feet away from him. He didn’t know what, but some part of Yuri was somehow drawn to the boy, urging the blonde to learn more about him.

 

“Germs, Yuri. As I’m sure you're aware of from your knowledge of the flare, germs can spread extremely easily, sometimes from only one touch.”

 

“But I thought we were supposed to be immune to the Flare? That’s why you're using us for all your stupid experiments.”

 

“Yes but not everyone… you know what nevermind, it’s time to get you prepped ok? So can you try not to make this harder than it has to be and please sit on the bed?” 

 

Yuri reeled his head back in annoyance and spit out an over dramatic “Fine”, grudgingly sitting down on and lying on the surprisingly comforting surface. 

 

Lilia turned to a table sitting next to him, fussing with various tools that looked like they should be part of some sci-fi movie, wait- are those things going inside his brain?

 

“Can you at least tell me what you're doing to my head, I feel like I have the right to know that.” 

 

For a moment Lilia didn’t respond. There was a long pause where no one said anything, the stoic woman's face lost in thought as if she was contemplating whether or not in was safe to answer. After what seemed like hours, she finally spoke.

“Listen, you know what’s at stake here right? You know that you're immune to the flare and that the human race is in serious danger, right? You're aware of all of this?”

Yuri wanted to scream at her that yes he did know all of this, far too well because it’s all the WICKED staff ever talks about when their around him, that he knows perfectly well what the stakes are without some doctor or psych remind him about it every second, that for once he’d love to know something that’s not about him being immune or the severity of his situation, or how long it will be before he can meet the other children, but shockingly enough Yuri stayed completely silent, sensing that there was something else Lilia wanted to say, and he didn’t want to change her mind about saying it by arguing more, so the green-eyed boy simply nodded. 

 

“Then you understand why it’s so important that you cooperate.” Lilia placed something that looked like a high-tech bike helmet over him and head and quickly began connecting various clear, thin tubes to random places throughout his upper body. Yuri’s body tensing at the touch. 

 

“We’re studying the kill zones of the immune so can find a cure. All we're doing today is placing a small instrument in your head that will help us understand what makes your different. You’ll probably even be relieved. After the procedure the other doctors and I will be able to monitor your vitals much more efficiently so we won’t have to prick you with the needle nearly as much, doesn’t that sound nice?” Her face never wavered from her usual monotone expression as she spoke.

 

Yuri only stared blankly back at the woman, she still looked like a clown with all that makeup. 

 

“Now you’ll be unconscious for about an hour. When you wake up you might feel a bit of a headache, but we can give you some machine to sooth the pain ok? The surgeon should be arriving soon, he is very skilled so you won’t feel…” Slowly the doctor's words began to fade and his vision blur and darken around him as Yuri’s mind began to slip into unconsciousness. The boy’s body feeling as if it was rising up from his bed, floating in mid-air, as if he was ascending into the clouds. Then suddenly everything went black.

 

No matter how hard he tried, Yuri couldn’t seem to think of any explanation for why his brain would imagine that. Maybe because it was a recent thought, maybe it was his curiosity getting the best of him, maybe it was just his imagination being weird, but whatever reason it may be for where his mind was going, it had happened, and there was nothing Yuri could do to change it. 

 

He dreamt about him. The boy in the bed. Otabek.  

 

It must have been at least five years in the future because Yuri looked older, a lot older. His hair had grown even longer now, bright blonde strands falling lightly over his slim shoulders. He was taller, but to his disappointment, not by much. His facial features making him look just a bit more mature, but even though Yuri knew he was older, the boy still appeared to have somewhat of a babyface. He was wearing mostly dark clothes, black jeans, black hoodie, and a gray- wait, was it a tiger sweater?! Wow, future Yuri had terrible fashion sense. 

 

The next thing he noticed was that he was running, from what he couldn’t tell. The older boy was hurrying down the busy streets of what looked to be some foreign city, possibly somewhere in Europe, based on the strange architecture. (Yuri was smart, as his school teachers so mockingly loved to remind him, but he still constantly struggled in geography, not to mention it was boring as hell.) After slowing down to quickly glance behind him, Yuri clumsily turned into a narrow, empty alleyway. Then turned again into another small alcove that seemed to be the entrance to some sort of restaurant. Yuri stopped in his tracks and slowly sank down to the ground, panting and breathing heavily. Why was he running anyways? Could he be hiding from something, or  _ someone?  _

 

After a few minutes of resting and catching his breath, the boy looked around, trying to get a better grasp of him surroundings, maybe figure out where he actually was, but when he looked up he saw someone he never in a million expected to see, and in a situation like this no less, but there he was. He also looked dramatically older, almost unrecognizable, but somehow Yuri just knew. That even with his black hair cut into a short undercut, even though he had seemly doubled in size, at least three inches taller than how he looked in the bed in the hospital, his form is broader and more muscular as well. His features are even sharper now (Yuri didn’t think that was possible). But despite all of these things somehow Yuri still new exactly who this guy was without fault.

It was Otabek.

In that moment his face changed into something that could only be described as a kind of childlike wonder. Time seemed to slow down for a moment. The wind blowing his hair across his slowly across his face as he stared wide-eyed into the other boy's eyes for the very first time, seeing the full beauty of his stoic, monotone face, finally getting a proper look at his entire body. The boy had a certain way about him that he saw even when he was unconscious. A sort of peaceful and relaxing aura, underneath his stern features the boy’s face had a kind feeling to it that was impossible to describe. Seeing him properly like this was unexplainably seemed to give him the most happiness since he was taken to his room in the WICKED headquarters for the first time. He couldn’t put into words why that was, it was just something that felt  _ right _ . Like a puzzle piece that just fit perfectly into place, everything about it was just so surreal, why he still had no clue. Then just like, everything suddenly speeds back up, and Yuri almost missed it when the older boy spoke. 

 

“Hop in.” 

 

It then came to Yuri’s attention that Otabek was sitting on top of something, a big, bulky motorcycle that seemed extremely out of place near a guy to seemed too nice and peaceful, but then again so did his clothes. The taller boy was dressed fairly similar to Yuri, all dark tones, black jeans, grey sweater-except he didn’t have an obnoxious tiger design directly in the center- he also wore a black leather jacket and simple dark grey scarf, which made him look like some sort of male model, his fashion choices were definitely better than his own. 

 

Suddenly Otabek through his a helmet, for what he would assume was the bike, as he reached above his head to adjust his own. Yuri barely caught it, still completely lost in thought staring at Otabek. Once he finally came back to his senses and realized that the boy on the motorcycle was still waiting patiently for him, Yuri hastily moved to put on his helmet, it was then Yuri noticed that at some point during his weird daze the boy had stood up his spot. 

“You coming or not.”

 

Yuri didn’t waste another second putting on his helmet and hopping on the bike behind the other boy as they sped back down the alleyway. 

 

_______________________________________________________

 

_ What has he been missing? _

 

It’s something that has been stuck in his mind since his first day at the WICKED headquarters, but he’s always locked thought’s like that away in a far corner of his brain. The boy always figured that if he didn’t, the reality of his situation would hit him like a brick, and his emotions might just get the best of him. It’s something he’s gotten quite good at over the years, building a wall around himself, to never let others get too close him. Which is why Yuri never had many friends growing up, he always chose to stay with his family inside the comfortable confines of their home. 

 

So he can’t quite grasp why the sentence suddenly popped back into his head. Maybe it’s the infuriating boredom from being locked in his room even longer than usual because Lilia told him “You need to get lots of rest now, it’s important that you after going through an intense surgery like that.” when she dragged him back to the all too familiar room immediately after he awoke and the treatment was finished, maybe it was the crazy vivid dream he had about a boy he only knew from seeing once briefly, and he was lying unconscious in a bed, maybe it was simply the fact that he had just about had it with the organizations tricks and secrets, but for whatever reason the curious thought seemed to resurface at last and burden his minds with all kinds of questions and ideas. What was going on in the world right now? What was he missing while he’s been trapped in this remote place? Was his family still alright? His grandfather? All of it racing through his mind at once, making his headache with confusion and anger. For a moment Yuri simply sat there, on the edge of the bed, holding his head in his hands, attempting to process everything going on in his brain, wishing that he had just taken Lilia’s advice and went to sleep. Then, like a leak in a dam, tons and tons of water increasingly spilling out, breaking free from the wall that held in it for all that time, destroying everything around it, all from a minuscule, almost unnoticeable crack in its foundation, all of the thoughts and ideas and questions, all the emotions, the anger and sadness, all exploded out Yuri’s throat in an eruption of sound.

 

He screamed.  

 

He screamed on and on for quite some time, barely even stopping to take a breath. The little boy screamed until his lungs ran empty, aching for air. He screamed until his throat was so dry he couldn’t even speak, the loud sound erupting from deep within him like it never had before. He screamed until one of the doctors rushed into his room, scowled at the sight, and forced Yuri back into his bed and ordered to stay silent “or else there will be consequences”. They don’t understand though, these people can’t simply expect him to just hide all of his thoughts away forever, never seeing the light of day, that’s not how humans work, he’s finally starting to see that. Oddly enough, his mind went back to the boy for the second time that night, back to Otabek. How his tranquil and calming expression, his kind, simple gesture that somehow meant the world Yuri, the way body sat on the bike as he effortlessly drove them both out of the town, making Yuri feel so blissfully at ease, as if in a trance, but most of all, that boy was his only connection to the world outside. Outside of the labs, and classes, and doctors, and needle pricks, and annoying psyches, and, something he never would’ve admitted to himself before the day those three men in suits came into his home, his loneliness. 

 

You can’t keep everything bottled up inside, or else, one day, you might just explode.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want to see more of my crazy shenanigans and memes, follow my Tumblr: @midnight-shipping


End file.
